Charles W. Bryan, Jr. was born January 20, 1890.  He attended Washington University from 1908 to 1912, graduating with a degree of Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering.  While attending the university, Bryan was active in the football and track teams.

After graduation Bryan joined the Patrick Ryan Construction Corporation as a construction engineer on the foundations of the New York Connecting Railroad Bridge at Hell Gate, New York.  Later with the U.S. Realty and Improvement Company he was a superintendent on subway construction in New York City.  With Fraser, Brace and Company, in the same capacities, he worked on various construction contracts in New York, Quebec and Ontario.

In July 1917 Bryan transferred to the construction forces of the United States Steel Corporation at Kearny, New Jersey, supervising construction of its large shipyard there.  He remained the employ of the Federal Shipbuilding Company until the plant was sold to the United States Navy in 1948.  In 1936, as vice president of sale and engineering, he was in charge of the contracting activities of that company, which, after Pearl Harbor, delivered over 250 vessels of many types, including landing craft, destroyers, light cruisers, tankers, cargo vessels, special naval auxiliary ships and troop transports.  In 1950, he became president of the Pullman Standard Car Manufacturing Company, where he served until his retirement in June 1959.

Bryan was granted Life Membership in the American Society of Civil Engineers in 1959.  He also remained an active alumnus of Washington University, where he was elected to the board of directors on October 9, 1952 and became emeritus on June 5, 1964. He died on March 15, 1966.